Air treating and circulating apparatus



Aug. 25, 1942. o. HoLM-HANsEN AIR TREATING AND CIRCULATING APPARATUSFiled May 2, 1941 Inventor:

Osm Holm-Hansen bg `J His Attorneg.

Patented Aug. 25, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AIR TREATING ANDCIRCULATING APPARATUS Osmund Holm-Hansen, Bridgeport, Conn., assignor toGeneral Electric Company, a. corporation of New York Application May 2,1941, Serial No. 391,503 8 Claims. (Cl. 183-35) l forcibly circulatingthe air so that substantially the same temperature prevails throughoutthe room. The comfort of persons occupying the room may further beincreased by removing odors, smoke and other objectionable matter fromthe circulated air. For purposes of circulating the air, it is desirableto employ fairly high velocities of air in the circulating device:however, if air treating material such as activated charcoal is placedin the path of the air in the device, the velocity of the stream isnecessarily reduced and the effectiveness f the air circulator may behampered.

It is an object of my invention to provide a'n improved apparatus :forcirculating and otherwise treating the air within a room.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved air circulatingand treating apparatus wherein suiiicient velocities for propercirculation of the air in the room are attained while a portion of theair is continuously treated to remove objectionable odors or foreignmaterial.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent asthe following description proceeds, and the features of novelty whichcharacterize my invention will be pointed out with particularity in theclaims annexed to I and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of my invention reference may be had to theaccompanying drawing, the single iig-ure of which is a section-alelevation view of an air circulating device embodying my invention.

VThe device as shown in the drawing comprises a cylindrical casingwithin which is arranged a duct constituting a Venturi tube, a motordriven fan circulates air from the bottom of the casing through thevtube to the venturi `and openings are provided at the throat and nearthe discharge end of the venturi so that there is a recirculation of aportion of the air from the discharge end through the space between thetube and the casing and back to the main air stream through the openingat the throat of the tube. The recirculated air is subjected to thedesired treatment by providing a container within the space between thetube and the casing and placing a suitable air treating substance in thecontainer.

A portionof the circulated air is thus recirculated in the casing andtreated to remove odors, smoke, etc., and the main air stream ismaintained at suiiicient .velocity to provide adequate circulation ofthe air in the room.

Referring now to the drawing, I have shown an upright cylindrical casingI0 spaced from the floor and supported on a plurality of legs Il. Withinthe lower end of the casing is mounted a motor I2 for driving apropeller type fan I3. The motor is secured'in the lower portion of thecasing in any suitable manner and preferably by employing a resilientmounting including supports I4 of rubber or other similar material.'I'he top and bottom of the casing are provided with suitable collarsand I6, respectively, to provide a finished appearance. Within thecasing is provided a;coneshaped duct or reducing orice I'l through whichthe air is forced immediately after leaving the fan I3. Above theorifice I1 and resting on a suitable support Il on the walls of thecasing is an expansion duct or nozzle I9 extending upwardly from theoutlet of the orifice Il toward the top of the casing. The support I8 islocated so that the inlet end of the discharge nozzle I9 is spaced fromthe discharge end of the orifice I1 to provide an annular openingbetween the orifice and the nozzle. The orifice and the nozzleconstitute a Venturi tube, the annular opening between the orifice andthe nozzle being located at the throat of the venturi intermediate theends of the casing. Between the casing I0 and the duct structure`comprising the orifice I'I and the nozzle I9, there is formed a spaceXor chamber 20. In a Venturi tube the velocity of the air is highest atthe throat and decreases in the expanding nozzle. The pressure at thethroat is the lowest pressure; and hence is lower than the pressure atthe discharge end of the nozzle. I utilize this difference in pressureto circulate a portion of the air through the chamber thereby providingrecirculation of a portion of the air circulated by 4 the fan I3.' Thisrecirculated portion of the air l odors, smoke or other lobjectionablematter.

2 into the -main stream in theduct from ,thechamber 20 through theannular opening vbetween the orifice and the nozzle, and that air will-be supsure region intermediate the' ends of said duct,

I means providing a chamber externally of said plied to the chamber 20from the main stream through the openings 24 in the discharge end of thenozzle. The air ilowing from the openings 24 to the annular opening atthe throat of the venturi must-pass through the mass of air treatingmaterial 2i and the perforations 23. This portion of the air is,therefore, treated by the substance 2l which, for example, may beactivated carbon provided to remove objectionable odors from the air. y

' culated by the fan I3 will-pass upwardly through Themain body of aircirthe casing at a substantial velocity and a portion of the treatedair'will be added to the main' stream so that there is a continualtreatment cfa fraction of the air circulated bythe fan and the air inthe room may be maintained free from objectionable odors or foreignmatter such as smoke. f

The nozzle i9 together with the container 22 may be removed from thecasing I9 by lifting the nozzle directly through the top of the casingand a suitable hook may be inserted in one of the openings 24 in orderto grip the duct I9 I have provided an air circulator including a simpleand effective arrangement for maintaining a stream of air at arelatively high velocity while treating a portion of the 'stream toremove -While I have shown a particular embodiment of my invention inconnection with a portable air circulating unit, other applicationswillreadily be apparent to those skilled in the art. I do not, therefore,desire my invention to be limited i to the particular construction.shown and described and I intend in the appended claims to cover allmodiiications within the spirit and scope l of my invention.

. What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent oftheunited states is:

l. An air circulator including a casing having an air inlet and an airdischarge outlet, means for circulating air throughsaid casing 'fromsaid inlet t'o said outlet, lmeans dependent upon the flow of airthroughsaid casing for producing a pressure of the air at anintermediate portion of the casing lower than the pressure at the dis- 1charge end thereof, lmeans providing a chamber for containing an airtreating substance, and

means arranged to utilize the difference in pressure between thedischarge end of said casing and` said intermediate portion thereof toproduce a circulation through said chamber of a l portion of the airiiowing. through said casing whereby said portion of the air is removedfrom tlie main stream of air iiowing through said lcasing and circulatedthrough said chamber and treated by the substance therein and thenreduct and aording communication between said l low pressure region anda higher pressure region adjacent the discharge end of said duct wherebya portion of the air passing through said duct is removed from the mainstream of air and circulatedlthroughy said chamber and then returned tothe main stream, said chamber being arranged to contain a substance-fortreating the air circulating therethrough.

3. An air circulating apparatus comprising a duct structure formed toprovide a Venturi tube.

' means for circulating air through said tube,

means providing a chamber adapted to contain an air treating substance,means arranged to connect said chamber in an air path between thedischarge side of said tube and the throat of said tube for affording acirculation of air through said chamber whereby a portion` of the airpassing through said tube is recirculated and subjected to the treatmentof the substance in said chamber.

4. An air circulating apparatus comprising a duct structure formed toprovide a Venturi tube, means for circulating air through saidtube, a

perforated container adapted to contain an air treating substance andarranged in= communication with said duct adjacent the throat of theventuri, means providing communication between said container and thedischarge end of said duct for providing an air circulating path fromthe discharge end of said duct through the container to `the throat ofthe venturi whereby..`

a portion'of the air passing through said duct is recirculated andsubjected to the treatment .of

the substance in said container.

5. An air circulating apparatus comprising a casing, a duct structureconstituting a Venturi tube arranged within said casing, means for cirlculating air through said duct, means providing culating air throughsaid duct, said duct beingair circulated therethrough to provide a lowprescommunication between the interior of said duct and the spacebetween said duct and said casing adjacent the throat of the venturi andalso adjacent the discharge end of the duct, means arrangedbetween saidcasing and'said duct for retaining a quantity of air treating substancetherein whereby the circulation of air through said duct produces arecirculation of a portion of the air through the space between saidduct and said casing to be subjected to treatment by the air treatingsubstance therein. p

6. An air circulating apparatus comprising la casing, a duct structureconstituting a Venturi tube arranged within said casing, said ductAstructure having a plurality of perforations therein near the dischargeend of the tube and having an opening therein adjacent the throat of thetube, means for circulating air through said duct, said casing and saidduct defining a space therebetween in communication with the interior ofsaid duct-[through said perforations and said opening whereby a. portionof the air circulated through said tduct is recirculated through thespace between said duct and said casing, and means for retaining aquantity of air treating substance in the path of the air circulatedthrough the space between said casing and said duct. f

'7. An air circulating apparatus comprising a casing, a duct structureconstituting a Venturi tube arranged within said casing, said structurecomprising a pressurereducing orifice and an expanding nozzle spacedfrom saidoriiice at the throat of the venturi,` a container for an airtreating substance secured to said nozzle and arranged within the spacebetween said nozzle and said casing and having perforations to affordpassage of air therethrough, said nozzle having perforations adjacentthe discharge end thereof, means for circulating air through said ductand for causing a recirculation of a portion of the air from theperforations in said nozzle through said container and back to the ductthrough the space between said nozzle and said orifice whereby therecirculated air is subjected to treatment by the substance within saidcontainer.

8. An air circulating apparatus comprising an upright cylindricalcasing, a cone-shaped reducing orifice in the lower portion of saidcasing, a removable expansion nozzle arranged in the upper portion ofsaid casing and constituting with said orifice a Venturi tube andforming a chambei` between the casing and the tube, said nozzle and saidorifice being spaced apart longitudinally to provide communicationbetween the Venturi tube and the chamber between the tube and saidcasingadjacent the throat of the tube, said expanding nozzle havingperforations near the discharge end thereof opening into said cham-ber,a motor driven blower in said casing below said nozzle for circulatingair from the lower end of said casing through said nozzle and saiddischarge orice and thence out of said casing at the top thereof wherebya portion of the air passes through the perforations in said .nozzle andis returned to the throat of the Venturi tube through the space betweensaid orifice and said nozzle, and a container for holding a quantity ofair treating substance in the path of air circulated through saidchamber between said dis- OSMUND HOLM-HANSEN.

